Morning Thing: Johnny Eck!

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Morning Thing: Johnny Eck!

Johnny Eck, the infamous "broken doll" — his mother's first words upon seeing him. Perhaps best known as one of the freaks in the Tod Browning classic of the same name. Here he emulates his idol, Lon Chaney, becoming the Half-Man of 1,000 Faces.

Johnny Eck was actually an extraordinarily gifted acrobat, musician and performer, with a show biz career spanning 6 decades. Unfortunately, Eck pulled out of the public spotlight in the 80's when a couple of robbers broke into his home. One sat on him while the other ransacked the house. Eck became a depressed, lonely recluse after the incident, famously writing: "If I want to see freaks, all I have to do is look out the window."